BAY CITY, MI — Already charged with holding up a pair of Ann Arbor-area convenience stores, a Sebewaing man is now charged with the armed robbery of a Bay City gas station.

Bay County District Judge Mark E. Janer on Tuesday, June 25, arraigned Tyler J. Venema, 24, on two counts of felony firearm and single counts of armed robbery and carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. All of the counts are felonies, with armed robbery being a life offense.

The charges stem from a Friday, May 31, holdup of the BP station at 322 Garfield Ave. About 4:33 a.m., a man wearing a black mask and brandishing a long gun entered the store and demanded cash from the register, the clerk told responding police.

The clerk gave the man a bag of cash and he fled on foot, court records show.

The following day, a BP station in Ann Arbor was robbed by a masked man brandishing a long gun. Two days later, June 3, another BP station in Washtenaw County's Pittsfield Township was held up in similar fashion.

Police responding to the June 3 robbery arrested Venema after a short chase. He was subsequently arraigned in Washtenaw County District Court on two counts each of armed robbery, a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and a single count of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

Police reports contained in court documents allege Venema told investigators he committed all three robberies. Police allege Venema said he used a shotgun, which was unloaded in each instance.

Police allege Venema said he committed the Bay City robbery to finance a trip to Ann Arbor, where he was looking for work. Police allege Venema told them he committed the Washtenaw County robberies to get money for housing and living expenses, according to court records.

Janer set Venema's bond at $150,000 cash-surety. His bond in Washtenaw County is $200,000.

Venema was discharged from the Michigan Department of Corrections in October 2011, after serving more than two years on charges of larceny in a building and second-degree home invasion.

Venema is set to appear before for a preliminary examination before Bay County Chief District Judge Timothy J. Kelly at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, July 8.